Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 8) – Another Filipina who was trafficked in Myanmar and forced to work as a marketing scammer was brought home after she paid ransom for release, the Bureau of Immigration (BI) disclosed on Saturday.
BI Commissioner Norman Tansingco said the woman was recruited through Facebook and was promised a salary of $1,000 as a customer service representative in Thailand.
The victim was instructed to pose as a tourist during immigration inspections, he said. After her arrival in Thailand, she was fetched by a private car and traveled several hours to cross a river to Myanmar, he added.
Tansingco said the Filipina was forced to scam Indian nationals to invest in a platform known as “Pacific Mall,” where she was made to work for almost 16 hours without a day off nor compensation.
After her employers destroyed evidence in her mobile phone, the bureau chief said she was escorted back to Thailand where she sought help from the Philippine Embassy in Thailand.
The BI did not reveal amount of ransom paid as of publishing.
The repatriated Filipina arrived via a Philippine Airlines flight from Bangkok at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 2 last April 4.
On Monday, BI spokesperson Dana Sandoval said the bureau has recorded some 6,000 suspected victims of human trafficking, illegal recruitment, and misrepresentation for the first two months of 2023.
READ: BI records 6,000 victims of human trafficking, illegal recruitment for Jan to Feb
READ: BI intercepts 3 suspected victims of trafficking syndicate working in PH
